dothack DISTORTION
by Feirdra
Summary: *DONE!*Confrontations–What's the Key of the Twilight got to do with the Real World? Tsukasa's acting strange, but he's got something up his sleeve. BT’s past has come back to haunt her. She doesn't seem to like being called “Beet”. Fights abound.
1. Prologue: BEGINNINGS

A/N: This is an AU fic that takes off about a day or so after the .hack//SIGN episode 'Wanted'. Those who haven't watched the .hack//SIGN TV show at all or up to that point will be totally or mostly lost. I don't have very much to say (O_o Amazing!) so just KB, R, E, & R!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't want to own .hack//SIGN. I want to BE IN .hack//SIGN. There. Now thou accusation hath no basis. =P  
  
Punctuation Notes:  
  
'something' - Italics for emphasis  
  
=========== - Scene Change  
  
II\\//\\//\\//\\//II  
  
.hack//DISTORTION_  
  
-- Prologue: Beginnings --  
  
"In the beginning. . . darkness was over the surface of the deep. . . And He said, "Let there be light," and then there was light." - Genesis 1:1-3  
  
___________  
  
"Where are we?" A hushed female voice, bright and clear even when muffled in the utter darkness.  
  
"I. . . I don't know." The reply was soft, the voice warm and unwavering yet unsure of itself.  
  
A tiny glimmer of light appeared in the darkness, a faint glow that grew slowly brighter and brighter, pushing aside the endless darkness all around. It was a small beginning. But it was a beginning. It illuminated their faces and for a moment the cocoon of radiance made them seem the only two in the world.  
  
The glow crept up a brown face, softening the gold-highlighted features. Perky brown hair tumbled, flaring in spikes about the neck. Sharp emerald eyes peered curiously down at the source of the lone light.  
  
"Y-you're using magic."  
  
Jagged silvery locks peeked out from beneath a dark cloth cap, trailing softly into deep pools of gentle indigo, flickering light and swimming in shadows. A quiet weary sadness weighted the pale delicacy of the young face. Twin dark red boomerang markings made the white cheeks seem even thinner. A crescent-shaped staff's end of no particular color, bearing a round red jewel, lay vaguely outlined in his lap.  
  
He raised his head to her from his thoughtful contemplation of the small bright flame dancing in his cupped palms, and a frown hardened his features.  
  
"Yeah. So?" A challenge colored the words, the tone suddenly brittle as thin ice.  
  
She held up her hands; it was her turn to frown. "Hey, what's your problem, anyway? Look, I'm sorry, all right? I didn't mean-"  
  
The look on his face had twisted strangely and he had opened his mouth, about to interrupt her, when suddenly the angry mask was gone, replaced by surprise and confusion. His face tightened and he reached with one hand to rub vaguely at his chest. The fire in his hand dimmed and she started in alarm, irritation quickly melting into concern. "What's wrong? Are you all right?"  
  
His reply was strained, forced through gritted teeth. "It. . . it hurts. . . So much. . . Like something's gone."  
  
"Huh?" Her confusion was evident in her face.  
  
"N-never mind." He seemed to have recovered, so she didn't inquire further, not wanting him angry with her again.  
  
"So. . . where are we, anyway?"  
  
He sighed but closed his eyes, bowing his head. The fire he held blazed to roaring life.  
  
===========  
  
Lush grasslands and rocky pinnacles pierced the clouds. Various buildings and unusual structures dotted the landscape, and wooden bridges connected the floating islands. Strange colorful shapes floated about in the sky. Here and there spun large gold-rimmed pale blue circles, transparent and floating in mid-air, surrounded by rock posts.  
  
A series of collapsing gold rings heralded the arrival of a blonde woman in flowing green robes. Matching earrings hung from her ears and gold shimmered on her arms and wrists as well as on her forehead. She clutched a tall sorcerer's staff in one hand, the end a pair of rigid blue-violet pincers enclosing a gleaming green orb. Her watchful green eyes blended with her robes and earrings and darted about till they finally settled on a man sitting at the foot of a stone arch.  
  
The woman flipped her long, lustrous forelocks out of her face as she strode over to the man. The sharp bottom tip of her staff left deep little gouges in the dirt as she walked.  
  
Much of the man's face and body were colored in blue lined with white, and his shoulder and legs were enclosed in bulky bronze armor. His shoulder- length brown hair was smoothed out of his face. Broad shoulders and a muscular bare chest did little to upstage the strong lines of his face, or the wisdom in his dark eyes.  
  
As she reached him, a sudden, keening cry came along the wind, so piercing in its intense grief that both players winced. It was an eerie faraway wail, almost otherworldly, seeming neither human nor animal nor otherwise.  
  
"What was that?" the woman whispered when the echoes ringing in the mountain peaks had faded at last.  
  
He had been sitting with his arms resting on his thighs, staring silently at the ground. At the sound of her voice he lifted his face, and his eyes were troubled.  
  
"So you can hear it too. . . You're the first. . . I don't know," he stared off at a far off point in the sky, "But it reminds me of. . . of someone who's lost something very dear."  
  
The woman just shook her head in reply. "So, what's new with that rogue Wave Master of yours?"  
  
"I have no idea."  
  
"What?" the woman seemed genuinely surprised, "What do you mean, you have no idea? You always do, Bear, and you know how much you like it." Her tone had switched from puzzled to teasing.  
  
Her smile faded when he remained serious, looking steadily up at her. "What happened?"  
  
"Nothing 'happened'," the man shook his head, staring hard at his knee, "And that's what worries me."  
  
"What?" the woman sat down beside him, crossing her legs and looking up at the sky with faint irritation in her voice, "Must you always talk in riddles?"  
  
At last the man did smile a little, "Patience was never your strong suit. All right, I'll get to the point. I tried to contact Mimiru yesterday. The Crimson Knights are after Tsukasa."  
  
The woman nodded impatiently. The wanted posters were plastered in every corner of The World.  
  
"That's nothing new, I know. What troubles me is that they've never been this thorough, or nearly this persistent, about looking for a player. Tsukasa is an unusual case, but there's something about all this I just don't like."  
  
She nodded again. There was obviously something else behind this massive search effort. She had an inkling of what it was, especially since. . . She started. Bear was still talking.  
  
"I thought to warn him. Mimiru is the one he seems to be most comfortable with. I didn't want to make things worse." The blonde sorceress raised an eyebrow, but he did not elaborate. "Since she wasn't logged in, I e-mailed Tsukasa."  
  
She made an impatient noise, and he smiled again.  
  
"He wasn't logged in either." She blinked. "You know what that means, BT."  
  
She knew. "But I thought-"  
  
Bear chuckled mirthlessly, "I can't say I'm surprised. I'm starting to believe anything is possible, with that kid."  
  
===========  
  
"Are you sure?" Clear amber eyes narrowed, slender eyebrows drawing down in thought.  
  
"Certain, milady," the Knight replied, "The Wave Master's last appearance was traced to that area."  
  
Long teal locks framed a heart-shaped face of alabaster; a strange lavender- pink rune arced up her forehead. Small snowy wings fluttered at her shoulders as she shifted her grip on the golden-hafted axe she held. A slim young girl, radiating a quiet and inconspicuous, yet still incongruous authority.  
  
"Lady Subaru," the Crimson Knight towering protectively over her shoulder wore the standard silver skull-like helmet, with distinguishing horns, "Perhaps we should look into this."  
  
"No, Ginkan," the girl said softly, and he looked at her in surprise, "We have no way of knowing what he will do. I will not risk any of my Knights in face of this Wave Master and his Guardian. I will go."  
  
"Milady!" the Knight Captain began in protest. A look from Subaru silenced him immediately.  
  
"Please understand. I wish to speak with this Wave Master, personally, not as a captor to a captive." The Knight Captain nodded.  
  
"Have faith in me, Ginkan, though I am only another player in this world." She added so quietly, it escaped the hearing of the other Knights.  
  
Ginkan inclined his horned head, the blazing glow in his red eyes dimming, and stepped back, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.  
  
A man with long forest green forelocks held out of his weasel's eyes by a deep blue headband, a scar marring his cheek, had looked up quickly at the girl's words. Suddenly he leaped out of the boat at the river's edge with the grace of a cat and sidled up to the gathering.  
  
"Yes, of course. You won't find anything, you know," he grinned, his face a study in craftiness as everyone looked at him. His voice lowered, slipping through the air oozing with cheer, in a dancing singsong tease, directed at the young girl. "But I still want to have 'my' little talk with the Wave Master."  
  
The Knight Captain took a menacing step forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword. His lip curled in an expression of intense dislike as he glared at the Player Killer with fiery red, white-hot eyes.  
  
"Yes," Subaru's voice startled both men, "You will get what you want. But first, please, explain yourself."  
  
His grin widening, the green-haired man shook his finger back and forth before her nose, "Nuh-uh-uh. Tsk, tsk, tsk, you people in high places, looking in all the wrong places. Maybe someday you'll actually 'find' something. . ." He wore such a patronizing sneer that the Knight Captain actually drew his blade halfway out of its sheath. The girl laid a firm hand on his arm, stopping him. Growling softly, he stepped back once more.  
  
"Now, Sora-" Subaru cut off her words with a startled gasp as she turned back to the man. Where he'd been standing, there was only empty air and three flabbergasted Knights.  
  
The girl narrowed her eyes. "He is not to be underestimated," she murmured.  
  
===========  
  
"I've a mind to do a little digging of my own," he mused as he stood.  
  
BT gave the man beside her a startled look as she stood up next to him, then gave a small laugh, "I should have known. You're far too curious to keep your nose out of other people's business."  
  
"I'm just worried," Bear murmured, running a thumb along the blade of his sword as he led her across the wooden walkway, "Will you help? You're fairly good at poking around in others' affairs as well if I remember correctly, BT."  
  
The blonde sorceress blushed and glared, "History as ancient as you, old man. Besides, how do you expect to find anything out? You have nothing to go on."  
  
"Oh, really, now?" he grinned, "Goes to show how much you know."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?!"  
  
They came to an edge that dropped away sharply into the clouds. He turned to face her, amusement twinkling in his dark eyes.  
  
"Oh, I have my sources. I've already done some nosing around," he was serious once more, "I've found out little, but it's a beginning. So what do you say?"  
  
She shrugged, her blonde locks playing over her shoulders. "I suppose I've got nothing better to do. . . at the moment," she added warningly.  
  
He just smiled and looked contemplatively into the sky.  
  
"I just hope Tsukasa won't take it too badly. . ."  
  
===========  
  
Golden rings appeared in midair and dropped down to pile upon one another, fading. The young girl ventured forth into the unfamiliar area, gripping her axe. Her wings fluttered till they were almost a white blur, and her bright amber eyes looked about warily. They fell immediately on a single thing.  
  
She caught her breath, and her eyes widened in wonder, "What. . . 'How'. . ."  
  
She stepped forward, dropping her axe, drawn irresistibly to the thing that had captured her attention and her heart. And then she was before it, her head falling back and her teal forelocks brushing the back of her neck as she stared up at it, transfixed.  
  
"Can it really be. . .?" Glittering tears quivered in her eyes, a trembling smile touched her lips as she reached out a shaking hand to it, "I-is it really you?"  
  
===========  
  
A clap of thunder. Streetlights cast their misty glow in the pouring rain that pooled in mirroring puddles in the dark wet streets. The real world.  
  
The house was dark and silent, seemingly empty, the heavy silence broken only by the steady patter of rain on the rooftop and the soft humming of a machine in the upstairs bedroom. Suddenly the humming ceased. A vidhelm dropped to the floor with a loud crack that echoed in the stillness.  
  
And a faint voice, a weak, fading cry. "No. . ."  
  
The computer terminal that had been the only thing illuminating the room with its cold colorful light lay dark and silent. Dead. Now the house was truly empty.  
  
___________  
  
A/N: That's the prologue! I hope I'll be able to do the rest soon, but no guarantees. As you can see, I've tried my utmost to imitate the show's mysterious technique of jumping around and giving info in snatches and hints. Please tell me if I got it right or totally screwed up! Also, I know there was a boatload of description in this part, but since it's the prologue I had to introduce everyone and well. . . I'll try to make the description load a little less heavy in the future, promise! 'Less you don't want me to. ^_~ I know y'all were probably wanting more Tsukasa in this but it just turned out that way somehow. * shrug * Oh well. You'll see lots more of him in Chapter 1, 'least I think you will. These guys are temperamental with their appearances. Is anyone OOC? I swear I tried to make all the characters like they were in the show but since I've only watched up to 'Wanted', well. . .I'm just a poor ole dub-dependent newbie to the whole .hack thingamajig but I'm totally hooked. The rest of this might be up in a week or a month or a year. O_o I'll try, I promise, depending on the number of reviews I get. So review if you liked, and even if you didn't like! ^_~ Remember, this is ***AU*** so no complaints about how the storyline is screwed up with the actual show. Flamers will just add to my lovely little review count and make me laugh my head off at their complete pointlessness in life. So review, please, and make my day!!! ^__^  
  
+++++++++++  
  
Ending Note: Much of the info used to write this fic was culled from the site .hack//SIGN Defragmented, at I recommend it as an absolutely excellent source for anything .hack, not just .hack//SIGN. Episode summaries, character profiles, pics, soundtracks, the PS2 game series, you name it, they've got it! (If that stupid URL still doesn't show just go to Google.com and search for .hack//SIGN Defragmented and there you'll have it)  
  
P.S. If you're wondering what the heck Carmina Gardelica is, you can check it out at .hack//SIGN Defragmented. There's a listing and series of pics of the places in The World shown in .hack//SIGN. 


	2. Ill Winds

A/N: I'm really sorry I didn't get this out sooner, but I was wrestling with my idea for this chapter. * growls * Ank. Anyway, this is the point at which I start using characters and places for purposes of my own. * ducks flying tomatoes * This is AU, guys, what'd you expect?! I will try to keep everyone in character, though, and stick as close to the show's notion of the The World as possible, though of course with my kind of plot there's bound to be changes. * grinny grin * Nope, not tellin'. Also, apologies in advance for this chapter 'cuz I didn't put in half the things the preview suggested. * smacks self on head * More on that at the ending AN's. Bear with me, though, there is more Tsukasa in this chap, though not as much as I'd hoped. . . In any case. . . * click *  
  
O_____O . . . . . . . . . * speechless * * unfreezes * REVIEWERS!!! I HAVE REVIEWERS!!!!!!! * builds a shrine to reviewers *  
  
This chapter is very gratefully dedicated to - Kaylana (Continued right here! ^^ check out her fic Prison of Stone, peoplez! It's good, and it's funny!), tabris (Welp, more Tsukasa on da way jus' for my lovely reviewers! ^_~), Kaya Kydra (More! Finally, eh? Heh), Basia Lynn (Whoot, one more favorite stories list for me!!! ^_______^ Thanks for the nice long review! More description coming up. . .), Kitty-Yasha (Agreed! More .hack//SIGN fics needed!!! * holds up sign * ^^ Thanks!), Queen of Shadows (You're not being stupid! I do have something pretty major planned, let's just hint a little quantum twist to the good ole reality. . . Thanks, btw!), StarStruck (* too huge a smile to be conveyed through a smilie * I'm glad you like it so much! Thankies!), and dstrbdchild (Sorry about that preview, ehhh. . . * sweatdrops * Thanks for the review though! Heeerez Tsukasa! ^^), thank y'all so much for all your support and input!!!  
  
. . . * looks back * Geez, gotta cut back on those author's notes. Anyway, KB, R, R, E & R!!!  
  
Punctuation Notes:  
  
'something' - Italics for emphasis  
  
=========== - Scene Change  
  
########### - Flashback  
  
II\\//\\//\\//\\//II  
  
.hack//DISTORTION_  
  
-- Ill Winds --  
  
"Can you hear the calling of the raving wind and water?" - To Nowhere, .hack//SIGN OST 2  
  
___________  
  
"It's. . . impossible," she whispered. The girl stood looking wide-eyed in all directions, then at the ground, her scarlet gold-trimmed armor dancing in shades of orange gold in the light of the great flickering flame her companion was ensconced in. One hand fingered the hilt of the greatsword over her shoulder.  
  
She took a step, and gave a little yelp as the surface that had been flat and featureless suddenly changed, ringed ripples spreading outwards from where her toes had touched the ground. A single warm, bell-like note resonated vibrantly around them, the ever so slight touch of melody deep and rich. And within and around the note tiptoed suggestions of more than one, fading before they could be pinpointed.  
  
He looked up with a little smile through his silver bangs. "Impossible?"  
  
"Jeez! I'm walking on water, and you're calling it normal?!"  
  
"I never said it was normal," he replied slowly, "And you're not walking on water."  
  
She sighed exasperatedly, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him with narrowed emerald eyes. Her wild brown hair scattered in all directions as she abruptly bent down to thrust her nose in his face. "How in the world do you know that?!" He flinched and shrugged, and she rolled her eyes. "Fine. Forget it. Now get up before I get a neck cramp looking down at you." She straightened and stamped her black boot for emphasis.  
  
With a sigh, he stood as well, dusting his soft beige vest and dark robes before bending down to pick up his staff. He straightened with a little toss of his head, violet eyes bright and an almost childish smile on his lips. "Shall we go?"  
  
She couldn't hold back a laugh. "Go where?" He just shrugged and mumbled something about paths. Grinning, she followed the young Wave Master's lead.  
  
===========  
  
The wind rose in a howling whistle, pounding against the eaves that flapped helplessly in the gale, creaking ominously. The small armory was barely visible in the clouds that had risen to smother the towering sky isles. Thick mist pressed its ghostly fingers against the windowpanes as though trying to come inside through the glass. Shelves lined the walls, filled with pottery, weapons, and whatnot.  
  
"Are you sure you should go out in this weather?" A cloaked figure silhouetted against the roaring fire in the little shop turned. The stout shopkeeper, clothed in dust-colored shirt and a cap barely holding its own against untidy dull green hair, stood behind his counter, looking at his guest with concern in the round turquoise eyes.  
  
The face of the cloaked player was steeped in the shadow beneath the cowl as he raised his head to look at the rotund little man wiping sweat from his red-hammered cheeks and forehead. The shopkeeper had been pounding steadily at his forge in the corner, where the great flame gave even the stone around it a reddish tinge of heat.  
  
"I don't have any other choice." The voice that emerged from the cowl was rough and harsh as sandpaper, yet still retained a boyish lilt. "The Crimson Knights have this place under surveillance now." A faint touch of disgust filtered through the steady tone.  
  
The shopkeeper looked hurt. "I never thought- I was just trying to help. I thought they'd be able to help you."  
  
The other sighed. "What's done is done." For a moment the clarity of the young voice faded, taking on a sad, faraway tone. "What's done is done. . ." A hand slipped into the folds of his cloak, then quickly retracted into sight once more. The speaker turned away, and the end of a long shaft thudded on the wooden slats as he walked to front of the shop and pulled the door open, looking out into the mist.  
  
He turned back to the little man who seemed to be shrinking away from the mist inching its tendrils ever so gradually across the doorsill. "In any case, this may be my best opportunity to move. They won't be expecting it." The cloaked player's hand fell from the blocky wooden doorknob and went to grip the dark shaft pressed to his side by his other hand.  
  
"When rise the Mists of Dun Loireag, no land shall escape their clutches." He stepped out into the clouded world, his cloak flying about him in the wind that never calmed, fading from sight like a specter as the door swung slowly shut behind him. "Goodbye, my friend."  
  
"Be careful," whispered the shopkeeper. He stood staring at the door as the bolts clicked shut and silence fell in the shop save for the steady crackle and roar of the twin flames. Then he returned to his work with a will.  
  
The iron hammer's pounding rang loud, filled the little shop; its echoes dimmed into the featureless white world beyond, where just for a moment in the cold, a smile kindled, a heart warmed at the distant farewell.  
  
===========  
  
The vast city hospital, its long rectangular body stark in its clean new paint against the fading light of dusk. Sirens wailed, shattering the quiet twilight of the real world. Tires screeched, and voices rang out in a hasty haphazard jumble of alarm and command.  
  
The beep of a monitor in the background against the clear clink of metal. Rivets and wheels creaked beneath their burden as the gurney was wheeled into the gleaming white room. Curtains were drawn across the windows, shutting out the outside world and seeming to muffle sound inside the room. A single conical lamp swung from the ceiling, casting its yellowed light on the pristine metal-framed bed, plunging the corners in uncertain shadows. It was a strictly utilitarian room, as bare of comfort and living softness as it was of furniture. The only things breaking the severe lines of the empty surfaces appeared to be the bed and the small table beside it, as well as the various machines clustered on the other side, emitting their soft ebullient noises and green neon glows.  
  
However, at the very edge of the crisply bordered circle of light, a bit too far from the foot of the bed to give the impression of being there for watching over at the bedside, stood a single chair. Its intricately wood- worked frame gleamed, kissed with the slanting shadows, and its plush cushions were embroidered with brightly colored flowers. It sat there, eerily out of place and seeming to loom as the only object in the room.  
  
Whispers of unease filled the air as they paused, their duty momentarily forgotten at the sight of that chair.  
  
"Something's not right."  
  
"I don't remember it being there before."  
  
The blankets rustled and the gurney squealed tinnily in protest as the weight on it shifted slightly. The sudden movement, almost inaudible yet loud in the sudden stillness that had fallen in the room, seemed to suddenly spur them into action.  
  
They lifted her from the gurney and set her gently on the bed, pulling the blankets over her and tucking them snugly, glancing over their shoulders at the chair that seemed to wait at the edge of vision. Her eyes were closed and she breathed peacefully as though asleep. But she never moved; never even a twitch, she lay unmoving and cold as a marble statue. Now that they'd done what they'd come to do, there was a slight guilty pause of turning to the door, then looking back. Hushed voices seemed to seethe in the heavy silence that they were somehow afraid to break.  
  
"They say this is the second one this week." A derisive snort. "It's the third one, or rather. . . but of course the others. . ."  
  
A gasp, quickly stifled with a fearful look about. "Impossible. . ."  
  
"Yes. All while playing. They say they're looking into the matter, but. . ." A mournful glance at the lifeless form on the bed, heaving a deep sigh. "No. Never. Never let the world know of what The World hides. . ." Scornfully. "The cowards. They have too much to lose. . ."  
  
A breath of a whisper. "It's unnatural. Unnatural, I say. No brainwaves, none, yet there's no sign of injury, none at all detected even with the scans, so they say. And the heart strong as a hammer."  
  
"Unnatural, indeed." A shudder coursed through even the voice. "Do you think it could be that. . . Do you think we should. . ." The speaker trailed off as though something had suddenly clamped her lips shut.  
  
The other jumped on her last words. "Yes! They'll know what to do."  
  
"Hush!"  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Something's here." A lull in which fear became a living thing, pounding in the room like the heartbeat of a fleeing bird. "Let's get out."  
  
"Yes! Right now!" The quick cry was choppy, trembling, running with eagerness.  
  
The light snuffed out like a candle in a whiff of wind that was never felt. Total darkness. Screams filled the room, bouncing from wall to wall in a vicious, endless round until they finally cut off into gurgling nothings.  
  
Silence hung thick. A tainted scent crept on the air. A movement in the darkness, the scraping of a chair.  
  
"Fools." A reedy voice with an underlying tone of laughter. " 'No one' will interfere. Especially not you and yours, 'Albireo'." Venomous anger filled the sound of the name.  
  
And then the room was empty once more.  
  
===========  
  
A million lights lit the starless night, twinkling fireflies in the vast ocean of darkness. Carmina Gardelica. The Song of Gael. A hundred strains and snatches of song interwove in a bright, dancing melody no one heard but the wind.  
  
The outskirts were quiet, empty as the streets of a real world city at night. Only the occasional player strolled in those parts, looking for a little peace and quiet. However, the central streets bustled with nightlife, the warm glow of a hundred street lanterns and building windows flooding the avenues with light. Day in night.  
  
More wondrous still, the bubbling life of the city center itself was contained not within encircling walls like so many fortified cities of the medieval times, but rather the buildings themselves were a building, arch upon arch of stone soaring from roof to roof, the dome of the vast ceiling lost to the sky. A palace of glass rose in Carmina Gardelica. A city in a bubble.  
  
Delicious hot aromas of food wreathed the air; fresh crusty loaves and savory smoked beef as well as every kind of food under the sun and moon were laid out to tantalize the eye. Vendors called out to passersby, a hundred thousand items adorning their stalls, and even the sides of buildings, countless butterflies clustered in bewildering multicolored melange on every side. Adding to the riot of color were the richly woven tapestries and banners hanging on every surface, depicting the history of the city and the greatest of the players who'd inhabited it. Kiwara Skybreaker, winging to his doom. Jiminy and the Crystal Saber. Midar of the Seven Tridents, grappling in fierce combat with the legendary Water Beast of Mac Anu. And the largest and most splendid of the tapestries hung over the grand double-door entrance to the glass palace itself. A cherished jewel of the real world's sea. The Isle of Man.  
  
A man strode down a busy street, a frown on his face that quickly became a smile as he looked about. It was always easy to tell old from new in Carmina Gardelica. The older players, the book already read, the song already heard, the beauty long faded, went about their business without a glance left or right, while new players gaped wide-eyed at the splendor of the Bubble. The pride of Carmina Gardelica.  
  
The man had no time for such fancies. He wove his way through the scattered crowd in the streets, his stride quick and purposeful, yet he never hurried. He had somewhere important to be at this moment. He had already been enough delayed.  
  
". . . that player the Crimson Knights are looking for?"  
  
The man stopped dead, the muscles in his feet and legs dancing at the very edge of the next stride. His dark eyes darted about the crowd, searching for the speaker.  
  
"Yeah! That new Player Killer. Word is he took out an entire squadron all on his own." The man had finally spotted the source, a pair of youngsters sitting on some crates beside a window selling fruit. He began to approach, then paused, hesitating.  
  
"They say he calls himself the Grim Reaper, and that he's absolutely terrifying."  
  
A whisper the man had to strain his practiced ears to catch. "Taiki says she saw him do it. She says he's a demon from hell itself. Not just figuratively, either."  
  
The other gave a derisive snort. "A demon! Typical Taiki."  
  
As the conversation turned into an argument over the merits of Taiki, the man turned away, puzzlement creasing his blue-and-white-painted face.  
  
"A demon," he murmured thoughtfully, "Now there's one I haven't heard before. The Grim Reaper?"  
  
He ran a hand through his brown hair, his armor clanking, seeming to ponder for a moment longer. Then he seemed to reach a decision, and set off once more through the streets.  
  
===========  
  
This night, the Red Harp was particularly busy. Nearly every table was occupied, the innkeeper bumbling about laden with trays from head to foot as though he'd lost track of his hands and feet. Laughter rang in every corner and the sound of talk and merriment seemed to strain the walls to bursting. The smell of woodsmoke filled the air from the roaring fireplace. There was a pool table in the far corner, where the numerous players clustered round and cheered on their comrades.  
  
Beyond the pool table, in the only quiet corner of the spacious common room, a green-robed blonde woman sat in a booth, half-hidden by shadows. She had her arms crossed, her sorcerer's staff propped carelessly against the wall beside her. Her narrowed green eyes kept darting impatiently to the endlessly swinging door of the tavern. She glanced at her bare wrist once or twice only to roll her eyes with a huff and glare at nothing.  
  
"May I get you something, miss?" The throaty rumble of the innkeeper made the woman start. She directed her glare at the plump little man for a moment, then sighed.  
  
"Not today, Loth."  
  
The innkeeper had already begun backing away when he realized who she was. "Well, I'll be leavin' you be then, miss BT. A busy night, oh yes, a busy night for poor Loth. . ." And he waddled off to pester someone else.  
  
The door of the tavern swung once again, and the man in blue and white war paint stepped into the stifling heat of the common room, his broad-bladed sword propped on his shoulder. When he saw the room, however, he resheathed his blade and began squeezing his way through.  
  
The eyes of the blonde woman had fixed on the man the moment he'd arrived, and her face had brightened beneath the annoyed scowl that was gradually slipping away. She leaned back and squared her shoulders as the man arrived at her table. "Hmph. Took you long enough."  
  
"I'm sorry. I was delayed," he apologized as he sat down across from her. The innkeeper popped up immediately and set two steaming mugs of cider before them. She sighed but refrained from commenting.  
  
"Delayed?" She raised an eyebrow. His face darkened and she groaned. "Not 'him' again?!"  
  
"The entire squadron, no less. There were others as well." Bear propped his chin on the back of one hand with a heavy sigh. "I suppose they have reason enough."  
  
"Reason or not, they're becoming a bother," she spat. He gave her searching sideways look that made her look away uncomfortably. "Well," she changed the subject, "I haven't been able to come up with anything definite. Just rumors and more rumors."  
  
"If you went to the Crimson Knights-" She growled threateningly and he cut off his sentence, shaking his head with a smile. "All right, then. Indulge yourself in your pride if you wish. They have been a bit distracted lately, though, I must admit. . ." He shook his head. "I heard something very interesting just now." He related to her the youngsters' story of the Player Killer called the Grim Reaper.  
  
When he finished, she sat back with her head bowed, contemplating him with sharp eyes hidden beneath her lashes and letting out a long breath. The cider stood cold on the table, forgotten.  
  
"Interesting. I'd say it was pure nonsense if I hadn't heard some whisperings of it myself. Anyway," she brushed an imaginary speck of dust from her shoulder, "We might as well get going now."  
  
"Oh?" He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, yet his look was an intensely scrutinizing one that made her feel very on the spot. She looked away.  
  
"That Wave Master's been drawing attention like honey draws flies." The blonde sorceress stood and gathered her staff in both hands, looking down at him with an obscure anger smoldering in her green eyes. "And of course, the Crimson Knights." She uttered the name with disgust, tossing it from her lips like a filthy rag. "We'll just have to keep our eyes and ears open, I suppose. He can't have vanished into thin air, not when just about the entire World is looking for him. He's bound to surface sooner or later." She turned away to go.  
  
Behind her, Bear mumbled, "I just don't know, BT. I just don't know."  
  
===========  
  
"Whew!" Mimiru flopped down spread-eagled on the ground with a sigh, her sword lying loosely in one of her outstretched hands. "I'm about ready for a break now." She sat up and looked up at her silver-haired companion, who stood with his back to her. "Hello? Are you even listening?! I. Need. REST!!!" she screeched.  
  
They'd been walking with only sparse stops for what seemed to be days and days along the "water", as Mimiru thought of it, accompanied only by the notes that rang out with every step. Every footstep brought a different note, but they formed a haphazard jumble and no melody could be found in the confused pot-pourri. She often found herself having the most absurd thoughts about what lay in the darkness around them, but really, who wouldn't start going a little nuts after walking in total darkness for days and days with only a boy on fire to light the way?! And the strange flickers of neon green light that occasionally shone out of the darkness didn't help things. It seemed to her that every time as soon as they sat down he was on his feet again, stubbornly set on starting out once more. She didn't know what he was looking for, and that irritated her all the more. She hadn't said anything before now because. . . well. . .  
  
###########  
  
"How could you?! You knew what would happen, you 'knew'!" She jabbed a finger at him though he couldn't see it. "They were my 'friends'!"  
  
When he turned his head slightly to her his eyes were deep and hard and shadowed beneath his bangs. She had never seen that icy blue before. The hands that gripped his staff were white. He stood with his back to the luminous green windows veined with circles of steel, his contours suffused with soft radiant light in the cold stone semi-darkness all around.  
  
His voice was very, very quiet. "I didn't know."  
  
"Stop lying to me!"  
  
She could hear the trembling in his voice as he jerked around in a swirl of beige and brown. "I'm not lying! I'm not, okay?! I didn't- I never meant- "  
  
"Like 'hell' you didn't!" she screamed, outraged at his behavior.  
  
"Leave me alone." A whisper that did nothing to disguise the tears in his voice. "Go away. Please."  
  
She gasped, sputtering with fury. "How 'dare' you! How dare you, you- you 'monster'!" He flinched quite visibly at her spiteful words, but she wasn't finished. "I thought your mother didn't teach you any 'manners', but I can see plainly now that she never taught you to be 'human', either!"  
  
A long silence that seemed to stretch taut like a spring about to snap. When he spoke, his voice rang of steel. "No. You're wrong. You're wrong!" He turned on her then, his eyes full of fire.  
  
She was taken aback. She hadn't expected such a reaction. He stood there trembling with rage, glaring at her so viciously she took a step back, sure he was going to raise his staff against her. Then all the fight seemed to drain out of him, and his shoulders slumped as he turned away from her once again.  
  
"Leave me alone." Sounding so very tired and bitter, and worst of all, defeated. He fell to his knees with a wrenching cry. "Just leave me alone, all of you!"  
  
"Please, don't!" She couldn't bear to watch this. She lunged forward, grabbing his arm in a desperate plea, "Tsukasa, I'm sorry!" Next second there was a blinding flash of burning light, and Tsukasa was screaming and she was screaming and they were plunging through an endless crazily pieced tunnel, and then there was only darkness.  
  
###########  
  
So now she spoke again, softer this time. "Tsukasa?"  
  
He looked over his shoulder at her, his dark eyes half-lidded, looking even paler than usual despite the red-hot fire that glowed the length of his small frame. "No. . . We. . . can't stop. Not now."  
  
"What do you mean we can't stop now?! When, then?!" He cringed at the shrill fury in her voice. She crossed her arms over her single-strap chest armor and glowered at him. "We've been walking nonstop on water - he gave an exasperated sigh but she continued as though she hadn't heard - for the past I don't know 'how' many days without seeing anything, and I mean 'anything' at all! Just 'where' are you in such a hurry to get to?!"  
  
His demeanor saddened, and he paused in thought. "You know, I wish I knew."  
  
"WHAT?!" She was on her feet in an instant, her mouth twisting in outrage. But before she could say anything else, the boy before her suddenly swayed dangerously, dropping his staff as he began to fall, his fire fading to quivering shreds.  
  
Mimiru spent a millisecond in frozen astonishment, her mouth half open, before she darted forward. "Tsukasa!" He was on his hands and knees, gasping, his breath ragged. When he managed to look up and give her a faint smile she herself nearly collapsed with relief. As it was, she slumped her full length to the ground with a huge sigh. Her sword lay abandoned in semidarkness behind her and she hastened to retrieve it with her foot before glaring at him. "Dammit, 'never' do that to me 'again'! 'Ever', ya hear me?!"  
  
"I'm sorry." His voice was a weak whisper as he tried to push himself to his feet, his legs quaking beneath him. She quickly moved to help him, and it was then she noticed the grayish pallor of his face, even worse now than before in the weak bluish flames, and the sweat shining on his cheeks and temples and practically dripping from his chin and nose. He shivered violently under her hands.  
  
"What 'happened' to you?" she cried, shocked at his state, as she forced him back onto his knees and crouched beside him, trying to mop at his face with his robes as he twisted away from her. "Look at you! You're worn to the bone, and you 'still' wouldn't stop!"  
  
"I'm all right!" Tsukasa hissed, scowling fiercely at her and stubbornly trying to stand again.  
  
He wasn't up to his usual speed however, and she immediately stood up and placed a high black boot on his shoulder, pushing him down again. "You are 'not' all right! You are completely exhausted, and that makes two of us! We are staying 'here' until 'you' pull yourself together!" When he quieted beneath her she removed her boot and sat down beside him, handing him his staff and a heavy glare that dared him to try moving from his spot.  
  
Her stomach chose that moment to voice itself loudly and she reddened slightly, shooting him a defensive look. He only gave her a bleak half- smile. "And I'm hungry, too. . ."  
  
"It 'is' strange, though," she added almost as an afterthought, "If this is the World. . ."  
  
He sighed and stared down at the staff in his lap, glowing with the same dull radiance as the fire that just barely still flickered around him. "This is. . . too much bother."  
  
Mimiru saw him raise himself and plant his staff and growled. "Oh no you don't!" Tsukasa crashed to the ground, Mimiru's boot planted firmly on his chest. " 'Stay'!" She used her glare down on him again. He just sighed.  
  
===========  
  
"Hello, there!" A head of forest green hair popped up between them. Both players started and jerked back. BT had to clutch at her staff to keep herself from falling.  
  
"Oops, sorry, did I startle you?" The lanky man straightened and tossed his head with a chuckle, long forelocks jerking playfully and trailing bandana ends swaying as he stood with hands on hips, smiling cheerfully at them.  
  
"Oh, it's 'you'." BT snorted contemptuously and turned away, closing her eyes.  
  
"Shloop!" He used the table to vault neatly over her head and leaned in close to her so that she had to bend over backwards. " 'So' disrespectful!" One ruby eye disappeared beneath long lashes in a roguish wink.  
  
"Children, children," Bear muttered. They both just looked at him.  
  
"Hmph." BT looked away.  
  
Bear turned to Sora. "Why are you here?"  
  
The Player Killer shrugged innocently. "I just happened to be passing by-"  
  
"As if we would actually believe you." BT smirked, using the opportunity to step away from him.  
  
He continued, unfazed, tiptoeing steadily closer to her new position, "- when I got just a little thirsty, wandered in, and heard a little something about a Grim Reaper." A mocking grin. "Information gathers where the Knights are, isn't that 'right', BT?" She snarled and he laughed merrily. "Oh, this is so much 'fun'! We really 'should' get together more often, don't you think so? Hmmm?"  
  
"Ugh." BT stepped back once more and turned away again to the worthier practice of contemplating the plain stone wall.  
  
Bear was not one to be sidetracked so. "Do you know something about this Grim Reaper?"  
  
Sora winked. "Why, of course!" At this BT whirled around, alarm crossing her face. "Oh, don't 'worry' so much. I won't tell!" In a singsong voice that made her scowl even more heavily than usual at him.  
  
Bear raised an eyebrow at this and opened his mouth to ask.  
  
However, just then, a particularly loud round of cheering erupted from the pool table, drawing everyone's attention.  
  
===========  
  
An almost unnatural hush lay over the surreal landscape, as though no breath of life had ever stirred there. The barren, cracked wasteland was littered with broken rock arches, coal black, hooking in awkward patterns against the sullen scorched sky, wherein no cloud lay. The dull orange tinge gave the vast rearing spaces a suffocating dusty color that seemed to hang menacingly over the desolation below, threatening to crush everything beneath its weight. Not a hint of even the lightest breeze played in the twisted skeletons of the brambles and thickets that sometimes seemed to form a wall between two rock outcroppings, dead fingers reaching across the patch of sky still visible and enclosing the space below more effectively than the lowest ceiling. Wherever one looked, there was only silence, thickly strung across every gnarled branch and cliff, a lifeless silence that had settled to unmoving blankets on the endless plains.  
  
And yet there was life. Somewhere in the desert, completely incongruous, a four-poster bed draped in silky white sheets rose like a beacon from the flat ground. It, and the young girl who floated above its pristine surface, seemed to glow with a soft light all their own. The child's hair undulated and swirled in endless patterns, thick curls obscuring her face. A simple dress billowed about her knees as she lay sleeping, oblivious to her bleak surroundings. A large teddy bear floated aimlessly by.  
  
What was most remarkable about this child was that although she shone white a multitude of colors wove their way across her small frame, a rainbow of iridescence that gave the whiteness even more purity. However, in some parts of her the white had faded to the merest beginnings of a hint of blue, and carved on one of her satin cheeks a bright trail glistened like a vein of polished crystal.  
  
It was then that the wind rose, sweeping up dead leaves around the bed with its invisible fingers. And the wind spoke, sobbing in the deepest nooks of every arch, the heart of every thicket, an eerily resonating voice that echoed again and again and again and again. . .  
  
"Come back to me," it whispered, sighed its sorrow, "O Twilight. . ."  
  
"Bring back to me my love, my light, my joy. . ."  
  
"My Tsukasa. . ."  
  
___________  
  
A/N: AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M SORRY!!! I'M SORRY!!!!!!!!! I know I did promise less descriptions but I didn't take into account the fact that I had to introduce more new charas and new places in this one -_- . . . After what happened to the last preview I was just going to ditch them but I'll try to make them properly in the future. I promise the Guardian appears in the next part. If I'd stuck it in here this chappie would've been twice as long and would've taken me twice as forever to write. And if I'd stuck my original complete idea for chappie 1 it would've been three times as long. . . -_- Meh. Anyway the original idea has been split into three parts. I hope next one takes less time than this but since there's a lot more action and a lot more Tsukasa and a lot more new places and characters to describe no guarantees.  
  
Well, about this chapter. . . What the heck is Albireo doing in my story?! He somehow just popped up and twisted my entire plot upside down. * sigh * I have not read .hack//AI BUSTER and probably won't for a while so Albireo's personality and function (though I know he's a debugger) is entirely based on my own imagination unless I can find some sources out there. . . * looks around pleadingly * And yes the fella's in the real world though I know he's supposed to be stuck in The World. AU + Plot. Draw your own conclusions. I will most probably also drag Balmung and Orca into this though I have no idea who Orca is and I don't want any spoilers about Balmung either. =_= I'll just have them lay low for a while, I guess. I KNOW Carmina Gardelica in all probability isn't quite what I made it out to be. I've only seen two screenshots. That's it. So I decided to make my own little embellishments. The mists of Dun Loireag are my own creation as well. There also probably aren't any taverns or food in The World. * shrugs and holds up a sign saying in HUGE block letters AU * Another important thing to keep in mind guys: this is NOT a romance right now and the top priority is NOT romances so all of you out there going Tsukasa/Mimiru on me 'cuz of this chapter just quit it, 'kay? I haven't decided the couples yet. I'll have to ask the characters about that. * makes mental note *  
  
Note to reviewers: Keep doing what you've been doing and don't put any spoilers in your reviews. I myself have only watched up to Ep 4 as I've said before and also I tend to read the reviews of a story I read. So keep this story's reviews spoiler-free and .hack//SIGN-newbie-friendly, thanks.  
  
So, er, leaving that impossibly long ending AN behind. . . Review? Please? I really need input on this chapter because it's my first few tentative steps towards my envisioned storyline (great, another epic, another millennium). I don't really like that last part with Sora and I need you guys to tell me if I've strayed into OOC zone. I'll take flames, death threats, murder by bobby pin, poisoned wine, shoes with black magic, etc. etc. Keep 'em coming, guys! Flames are welcome! I could use a little comic relief.  
  
+++++++++++  
  
Ending Note: Is it Maho or Maha? I've seen both. Names in .hack//SIGN seem to fluctuate a lot on the Net. Anyway, you guys, MORE .HACK//SIGN FANFICTION!!! Write already, write an AU if you haven't seen the whole thing, write a one-shot, write a poem, write a song, write the dumbest match of Ping-Pong. O_O No, seriously. There's just not enough out there, which means you'll probably get the reviews you want, too. SO GET CRACKIN', Y'ALL!!!!!! * bow *  
  
Bye. * waves little American flag with anthem playing in the background * 


	3. Confrontations

Notice: You guys can review now! ^^ C'mon!  
  
A/N: AAAAAAAAAAGGHH!!!! I know this is SO. DAMN. LATE, AGAIN, but I'll tell you right now, this was HELL to write. Eep. I screwed up again. More on that in the ending AN's. This chapter took forever, I know. And I feel remarkably like a brain-dead snail right now from writing it. -_-  
  
This chapter is dedicated to - Gray (See below ^^), Celes (Thanks, I'm glad you like it!), Kaya Kydra (Ending confusing? I thought that was fairly lucid. *scratches head* You'll be learning more about the Grim Reaper. . . Woops, better not give away too much. ^_~ Thanks, it was pretty freaky, wasn't it?), Kaylana (Why is everyone so confused about the end of last chapter?! *shrug* You DO know who the wind-voice is, right? Thanks for reviewing and keep writing! ^-^), Tsukasa magic (Wow, thanks! =D I'm glad you like the descriptions, 'cuz there's TONS more this chappie!!!), Lady Subaru (Whoot, thanks so much. *feels all warm inside* Fake Wings is one of my favorite songs too. It's so pretty! ^-~v), Ramenth (Um. . . Wow, thanks for the great compliments. *blushes* Though I doubt this could compare to novel quality, but hey, so many people actually like the descriptions!!! ^^ Yay!), Silent Echo (O_O It was THAT sad? Wasn't my intention, but hey, cool. And yes, the little girl IS Aura. I've seen the opening theme and she looks like a pretty little kid to me. Balmung. . . I'll see about that! He will definitely be in this, just as soon as I manage to actually get past this idea arc rolling around in my head right now. . . ^^ Thanks!), Rabid Pink Bunny (Hee! Thanks for complimenting my imagination. I've always wondered whether I had enough. ^-^ I'm glad you like it! Here's the next chappie!), quitelacking (Whoot! Bunnies! *cuddles bunny* I like flying too! *looks up from conversing with bunny* I'm glad you like the descriptions! ^_^ Thankee, and for the info 'bout Albireo, too!), Munebabie (Thanks, I'll try my best! Here's more!), wolfy (Yeah, there ARE so few aren't there? And most of them contain spoilers so I'm afraid to read 'em. -_- Get writing, peoplez!!! 'Kay, here's more just for you! ^^), thank you all so much for your reviews, they're a BIG part of what made me finally get off my lazy arse and actually finish this crazy chapter.  
  
To Gray:  
  
* sweatdrops * Just can't argue with a seasoned critic like you seem to be. . . ^^ I needed all that info, though, I s'pose. What exactly do you mean by the "pain of an AU fic"? * tiptoes away * I have this weird sense of foreboding. . . ^_~ Nah. Hmmm, I'd already stumbled upon the fact that Balmung and Orca killed that Legendary Dragon thing in some fanfic or other but with fanfics you just can't be sure what's fact and what's not when you're as green a .hack//SIGN fan as me. I have seen multiple pics of Balmung but not Orca so it's good to have a description of him. I don't consider anything you said a spoiler, btw, and I'll be getting the .hack games sometime anyway (soon's I finish watching .hack//SIGN that is. . . -_- Yay for 12:00 AM restarts. . .). Okay, let me define my notion of a "spoiler". As far as I'm concerned, info about a character that is important to the storyline in some way or that might come as a big surprise is a spoiler (for example: Sora is a. . . Don't make me say it. You know what I'm talking about. 'Twould explain his, er, attitude, too, kinda O_O Attractive ladies? Whooee). Same goes for info on the player of that character (You know what I mean. Tsukasa is actually a. . . Meep. * zips mouth shut * O_O That was an odd thing to learn. To quote Mimiru: "Edited characters don't mean much after all." Not entirely accurate in this case but then again what is? * shrug *). Info about key storyline elements is a spoiler as well (i.e. Key of the Twilight, the meaning of Aura's existence). As I've said before, I did NOT consider that info about the .hack game a spoiler. I've been sniffing around the edges of this supposedly HUGE mystery about Maha that jumps out of the shadows somewhere in the .hack games. THAT is a spoiler. Info about places is not considered spoiler material unless it's important to the storyline in some way. All of the above mentioned stuff goes for all the elements of the .hack series. .hack//AI BUSTER (info about Albireo, however. . .), SIGN, games, OVA, manga, DUSK. Did I make myself clear? I hope so. ^^ So you're free to comment s'long as you don't reveal anything really major or something. Places (I KNOW about the utter deviation from the series of those but info + criticism is welcome) and OOCness, etc. etc. Go ahead and pound me with constructive criticism, long's it's constructive, 'kay? ^^ Great! Thanks for the nice, long, informative review! * runs off to check out the Dot Hackers site *  
  
P.S. Thanks for clearing up Sora's name. . . It's just so confusing!!!  
  
All righty, then! With no further ado, KB, R, E, & R!!!  
  
Punctuation Notes:  
  
'something' - Italics for emphasis  
  
=========== - Scene Change  
  
########### - Flashback  
  
II\\//\\//\\//\\//II  
  
.hack//DISTORTION_  
  
-- Confrontations --  
  
___________  
  
There was a mixture of groans and fists thrust into the air in triumph among the crowd milling about the large pool table, their clothing as multicolored as a group of Gypsies and armor and weapons clanking on all sides. The groans predominated. Apparently quite a bit of money had been riding on this last game, and the majority of the players trudged from the table with considerably lighter pockets.  
  
"I can't believe he won!"  
  
"I still say it was a fluke - no upstart could flatten the champ like that!"  
  
The favorite, a fairly young fellow with bright yellow hair slicked back from his face in an ankle-length ponytail and wearing only a pair of chain- ridden black leather pants, raised and waggled both eyebrows, laughing good- naturedly, and offered his hand to the one who'd dethroned him.  
  
"Hey, man, you rock at this. You sure this is your first time?"  
  
The other remained silent. This individual of relatively average height was thoroughly enshrouded in a dark cloak that swirled to the ground. A hood hid his face completely and the only thing that could be seen was the long dark, unmarked stick that emerged from his robes and rose above his head. The cloak itself was a mystery to the eye; it seemed to catch the air as its numerous folds lifted with the breeze from the ever-swinging tavern door, appearing to float on nothing for a moment before the strange material settled languorously back into place like a feather wafting to the ground. There was something odd in the way the cloak moved, as something seen through the ever-shifting glassy curtain of a waterfall. In the uncertain light of the stained yellow lamp that hung precariously from the ceiling by a ragged rope, the sheen of the dark color itself seemed to take on a strange new quality, countless hues shifting smoothly like the feathers of a raven's coat.  
  
BT stared fixedly at the cloaked figure. Something tugged at her memory, something pushed away into a dark place from which there could be no return. She thought. That cloak. . .  
  
###########  
  
Two little children laughed, giggling delightedly as they tossed a small round ball back and forth.  
  
A flash and a rumble of thunder. Rain poured in the streets, running along the edge of the sidewalk and vanishing with a gurgling splash between the bars to the sewage. Tires screeched to a halt, throwing up a curtain of muddy water. A man took the smaller child's hand and pulled the little one away, the child looking back to the one standing on the sidewalk while being ushered into a car. The door slammed, a firm, final sound. The car vanished around the curb in a puff of exhaust.  
  
The lone child on the sidewalk stood looking silently after it. The ball dropped to the ground and rolled away.  
  
###########  
  
BT caught herself staring at the one in the cloak and quickly averted her eyes with an impatient sound, blonde forelocks swaying over her cheeks and turquoise pendants flittering at her ears as she jerked her head away. Both Bear and Sora were looking at her, but she never noticed.  
  
===========  
  
His body ached, ached through and through with a fierce sharp deep-rooted pain that wouldn't go away. It was like an itch, horribly irritating, but this was an itch he couldn't scratch.  
  
Indigo eyes opened slowly, blinking at the tumble of soft silver that caressed his cheek. Then the same hateful sensation started behind his eyelids, without the pain, but still just as unbearable. The dark eyes fluttered shut once more, a bright drop of moisture squeezed out beneath the long dark lashes. Lips parted slightly in a soft grunt as he tried to shift his position and failed; it was as if the ever-present ache was dulling his body to everything else, including his commands. Eventually, however, the eyelids tired of the needless strain and the whorl-lit orbs were discovered once more. He stared down at the smooth, featureless surface for a moment. It was utterly flat and colorless, only slightly blue- tinged by the faded light of the long pale staff laid out next to him.  
  
His staff. . .  
  
Suddenly his arm shot out and as his fingers closed about the smooth, familiar handle, easily finding every hidden nook and cranny, a sense of relief dove deep inside him, so profound he barely heard the gasp of surprise above him. The dark eyes widened briefly before the slim eyebrows dipped rapidly downwards, the mouth thinning.  
  
Reflexively he tightened his hold on the staff and jerked himself upright with his other hand, bringing the large, curving jeweled end upwards and back to jam it into the unseen person.  
  
"YOW!!!" There was a muffled thump a few feet away. He looked up and started, violet eyes widening as far as they would go. Cast in a pale soft glow by the dim fire, Mimiru glowered at him from where she'd landed on her rump, legs akimbo. One hand clutched her slender chin while the other was resting on the hilt of her sword. "What was that for?!"  
  
He opened his mouth, and her brows drew down sharply, lips pulling back ever so slightly to discover the tip of a gleaming incisor. He just looked at her and for a single moment it was as though time had frozen. Neither moved an inch, nor did anything else around them in the sightless emptiness.  
  
And suddenly his lip trembled, and she drew back, making a face, a confused and startled sound slipping from her lips. But then she saw the way his mouth was tugging upward at the corners. He chuckled, trying to stifle it by pressing his lips tight but not quite succeeding. She only gaped at him, and then he laughed harder, bent over his staff with his entire body shaking with repressed mirth.  
  
". . . It's not that funny."  
  
The dam broke loose. The silver-haired Wave Master threw his head back and laughter burst from his throat in rough spurts, as though he were out of practice doing it. She had never seen him laugh before. A smile of her own came to her lips despite her annoyed frown and the lingering throb in her chin, where she could already feel a substantial amount of swelling. And then she was laughing, too, clear and exuberant, falling on her back and jerking up and down with her hands clamped over her midriff.  
  
===========  
  
After a moment the yellow-haired young man's smile grew uncertain and he slowly retracted his hand. When the other made no move, the youth shrugged and turned, walking away with his friends who immediately swept him into the tide of their chatter. They vanished, melting into the by now fairly rowdy crowd.  
  
The cloaked stranger gazed after them a moment, then turned to the table in the corner.  
  
"Well, now." His voice contained a trace of dark amusement.  
  
The sounds and colors of the tavern had faded around her. She was staring, wide-eyed, at 'him'. Her breath came in ragged gasps. It couldn't be. It just could not be. But the voice. . . it hadn't changed. She wasn't surprised. It had only been a few months. But it was much longer than that.  
  
"Ah, yes." Sora's voice, full of repressed laughter, pierced her dazed disbelief. "I believe you two have met before?" He giggled gleefully, slitted ruby eyes pinning her in place. She gave him a baleful glare, then looked away, refusing to be drawn into his little game of cat-and-mouse again. Yet still her eyes were drawn back to the now-silent figure on the other side of the pool table. "Yes indeed. Another one I picked up on my wanderings. Well, well, why don't you come over and introduce yourself?"  
  
Bear watched the scene unfold in silence, his eyebrows lowered.  
  
A new game had been started at the pool table, and the attention of the remaining players had shifted from the cloaked stranger, who came now around the table with slow, deliberate strides, still revealing nothing but the long pole of which the end never emerged. Stopping before the dumbstruck blonde sorceress, halfway in the shadows beyond the lamplight, he looked up and gave a very mischievous grin, his cowl slipping back ever so slightly.  
  
"Y-'you'. . ." All words left her as she stared down into luminous deep blue eyes, bluer than the cloudless sky or the deepest sea, jeweled orbs glowing with an inner flame as fierce and bright with life as it had ever been, all the more startlingly vivid in the darkly tanned face. Several locks of hair slipped from their dark confinement as well, liquid fire swirling with deep orange and bolts of gold, tipped like red-hot foxtails.  
  
"G'evenin', Beet." He smirked and shifted, and one thin long-fingered hand appeared from the folds of the cloak, gripping the dark shaft that he held before him like a shield. The blue eyes never left hers.  
  
Nearby, Sora was practically bursting with mirth, both hands clamped over his mouth and sniggering quietly. Bear caught himself and managed to remain impassive. Still, the sharp perse eyes narrowed.  
  
"What can this mean?" the warrior mused softly to himself.  
  
Long seconds passed as the sorceress and the cloaked boy stared at each other. She saw genuine happiness in his eyes but also a glint of wariness; his manner appeared open but she knew he was on his guard, and she felt a surge of irrational anger. BT suddenly noticed the gleaming fangs peeking from the smiling lips, which only added to her irritation. Her lips thinned.  
  
He cocked his head, rolling his eyes. "All right, 'now' what?"  
  
"Jaarin, you little fool!" she hissed, her rage sheathing the leafy depths of her eyes in ice. "You 'know' you're not supposed to be here! You can't be seen!"  
  
The boy smirked defiantly and threw back his cowl. A mess of bangs tumbled down into his face, a spiked crest sprang into the air. A silky mane of flame cascaded about his shoulders, vivid color dulled only slightly by the flickering shadows, and forelocks swept down to his collarbones and then veered sharply upwards like a pair of tusks. The firelight caught his cheeks and the scarlet symbol hooking the dark skin flared in full prominence, dripping twin ruby-rhombus drops to stipple the jawbone. BT drew in a sharp breath as the tips of his ears showed their points through the fine strands.  
  
"Jaarin!"  
  
"Who's gonna stop me?"  
  
He laughed at her hiss of rage and suddenly swept his arm upwards, righting the staff with a lazy flick of his fingers. A flash of silver steel was all they saw before the cloak descended on the upper end with a ruffle of air, gently settling its folds about the slender bar that was a suddenly lot longer than it had appeared to be.  
  
"Don't!" Her voice was a whisper, almost a plea. Her hand gripped the sorcerer's staff and brought it forward and down like the horns of a charging bull. He looked slightly startled when confronted with the menacing blue-violet pincers, but then he threw back his head and laughed again.  
  
"Are you 'really' gonna use that on me?" He looked back down and grinned at the tightening of her face. "You know you can't, Beet. So don't even bother." She hesitated, then the end of the staff dropped with a thud to the wooden slats of the floor.  
  
Still chuckling, he swung himself with fluid grace onto the pole, balancing his lithe body precariously against the thin rod that somehow stayed upright, tilting alarmingly to a side, bare shapely feet easily gripping the slim support. He wore only a sleeveless brown leather jerkin partly open over his bare chest, a thick black studded belt hugging the slender waist. The ample ends of the garment flared down over his knees, swirling in the wind of his movements. Forest green slacks swept his long legs almost down to his ankles; the hems were torn. A gossamer scarf wound about his neck, creamy white. If one looked hard enough one could just make out faint traces, suggestions of lines, a motif like the barest beginnings of a sketcher's work that lined the trailing loose ends of the pale material.  
  
The wispy ends of the scarf seemed to float on the air for a moment before falling delicately to his shoulder. In the same instant, one hand darted to his chest and with nimble fingers collected something there and clutched it, hiding it from sight.  
  
BT gritted her teeth in frustration. Her voice was quiet but just barely steady, deadly with suppressed ire. "Why is it you never listen to a word I say?"  
  
He let his head fall back and the blue orbs twinkled as he smiled. " 'Cuz I know you too well, that's why."  
  
Impatiently pushing the blonde forelocks from her eyes with more force than necessary, she turned her anger and her staff then on Sora. "And you! You should know better. You know the danger as well as any of us. The Crimson Knights are everywhere!" Sharp metal clanged dully on wood, bright tip burying itself in splinters. Plain white cloth fluttered from the force of the slam.  
  
The green-haired man slouched and gave her a bored look, but his blades had slid out, deadly edges gleaming. "Awww, don't be such a party-pooper, 'Beet'!" he whined, as she turned that color. He straightened then and winked cheekily. "After all, what's life without a little risk?"  
  
She had opened her mouth to reply when Bear decided to intervene. "No sense in beating a dead horse. Leave it be." His serious gaze held hers and she knew he meant business.  
  
"Fine."  
  
Sora crossed his arms and pouted. "Well, this is no fun." His olive-skinned face suddenly brightened and one hand flapped energetically.  
  
"Ciao-ao!" he sang, and then in the blink of an eye, he had vanished.  
  
BT growled. "Hn. Why am I not surprised?"  
  
Bear merely sighed, leaning back in his seat, relaxing now.  
  
"Hello?" Jaarin ventured, trying to worm his way back into the conversation, "Don't I even get a 'hello', Beetsie?"  
  
The blonde sorceress sighed and looked down at him with a raised eyebrow, one hand relegating her staff to the seat she'd vacated moments before.  
  
===========  
  
"It's so dark." Mimiru rolled her eyes. It was always dark, save for the fire of his magic.  
  
For a time he just sat there contemplating the ground, and she watched him. He showed no signs of moving anytime soon.  
  
"Mm'hm'!" She nodded decisively to herself.  
  
Sitting up and shooting to her feet all in one moment, the brown-haired girl then proceeded to lurch backward with much clanking of armor and cursing, but managed to keep both her pride and her tailbone intact. She marched over to the motionless boy with calm, nose-in-the-air dignity, drawing her sword from its sheath.  
  
"Ahem!" The broad metal tip clanged to the ground inches from his knees, accompanied by the appropriate cacophony of jabbering notes raining from the darkness beyond. He gave a startled gasp and fell back onto his elbows. He didn't let go of his staff.  
  
A pair of emerald eyes glittered dangerously as they alighted on his, with a smirk to match. Then it was all replaced with the irritated scowl he had come to know so well, as she leaned forward with her elbow on the jewel- topped hilt, her chin resting gingerly in her long-fingered hand. "Well? Are we gonna get going or not?"  
  
The boy smirked back as he regained himself, sitting back up.  
  
"Huh?" She raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I thought you needed rest?"  
  
"Well I 'did'." She tossed her head, sending stray brown locks flying. "Do you have 'any' idea how long I had to wait for you to wake up?" she went on in a querulous tone.  
  
Wide dark eyes stared up at her uncomprehendingly as he cocked his head. His cloth cap slipped sideways, the green jewels flashing. She snorted contemptuously and turned her back on him, crossing her arms.  
  
"Thanks." His voice was soft but just a trifle unsteady. Her eyes widened slightly but she didn't turn around.  
  
"Hmph." She walked a few steps forward and paused, arms still crossed, tapping a black boot, waiting. The echoing notes started again, then faded away.  
  
A long moment of silence passed, but she heard no more from him. "Tsukasa?" No reply.  
  
Clear emerald eyes widened ever so slightly. She whirled round, sweeping the large blade from where she'd been cradling it to her chest. The keen edge bit deep into her thumb but she didn't care.  
  
He was there. Still sitting. The indigo eyes looked off into the surrounding darkness, the pale face blank. One hand clutched his staff to his chest like a precious thing. The other rubbed absently at a slim hip. He seemed totally at a loss. When she turned, he didn't even glance in her direction.  
  
One brown hand balled into a fist at her side. "Now' what?" Her tone was clipped, her eyes narrowed and hard; she teetered, bending forward like a bull about to charge.  
  
He jolted at the words that seemed to burst with startling clarity in the perpetual silence, and she smiled slightly. She opened her mouth, taking a deep and rather loud breath.  
  
His dark eyes found hers and the sharp words died on her lips. Tears glistened on his cheeks; the swirling deep orbs trembled in bright moisture, something dark danced there, and the deepness of the desolation that lay bare in those eyes seemed to seep somewhere inside her.  
  
"Mimiru. . ." A mere whisper, the voice breaking so it was difficult to make out the words, but she heard them as clearly as her own moments before. The indigo-blue eyes bored into hers and yet he wasn't looking at her. "Please. . . 'please' don't leave me alone here. . ."  
  
She opened her mouth but the words lodged in her throat, and she paused, faltering.  
  
===========  
  
It was a tableau. All the pretense had died.  
  
Green eyes closed momentarily, long lashes brushing high cheekbones before lifting. Scarlet lips tightened and relaxed, letting a sigh escape, then tightened again before parting to speak.  
  
"How? 'How' did you return, and in this form?" Incredulous, hushed. "The access restrictions. . ."  
  
The blue eyes darkened and he gave her a look of contempt. "Don't think I've forgotten." She flinched slightly and he smirked, then the smile faded and his face was somber again. "Did you 'really' think I'd let that stop me? Besides, I never really left."  
  
"What do you mean?" The tone low, the green orbs intent. Unconsciously she leaned forward, sharp-nailed fingers curling into loose fists.  
  
He looked faintly amused.  
  
"I mean what I mean. This is 'my' World now."  
  
Silence fell as two pairs of eyes fixed on the fire-haired youth. He merely looked puzzled. "What?"  
  
Bear sighed and buried both hands in his hair. "No. This just isn't possible." He looked up at BT and saw his emotions mirrored in her eyes. "Things are moving so fast, so out of control. No one can foresee where all this may lead. But something tells me we had better find out."  
  
There was silence again, then Jaarin cocked his head and broke it. "Does he 'always' talk like that?"  
  
BT had to smile. "Most of the time." She grew serious again. She'd been a fool, blinded by this unexpected twist. There was so much that should be known, told, recovered. . . Too much time had been lost already. She glared down at the floor for a moment, then looked up quickly, opening her mouth.  
  
"The real question isn't how," Bear said slowly, almost to himself. Then he raised his head and the sharp dark eyes found warm blue ones, and he snatched the words right from the tip of her tongue. "It's. . . 'why'?"  
  
The sudden change was almost frightening. The dark young face hardened, jawbones stood out almost white as the boy bared his startlingly acerated fangs in a snarl. Both adults drew back in surprise. Blue became glinting black as unruly tufts of flame shadowed the narrowed eyes. The hand at his throat tightened its fist till the knuckles threw out their red-rimmed bone against the flesh. He tensed, muscles rippling in the lean body. A wild thing leashed, a panther crouched to spring.  
  
" 'That'. . . is none of your business." They were frozen beneath his morbid gaze.  
  
Then he threw back his head and laughed again, a wild rough cackle.  
  
===========  
  
"What's wrong?" Her gentle tone surprised even herself. She was beside him on hands and knees, sheathing her sword, emerald eyes gazing up to him earnestly. "Tsukasa, tell me what's wrong." Her hand rested on his robes. The blue fire shimmering about his staff played over both of them, the pale shifting light transforming them both into a pair of water sprites. The boomerangs on his cheeks were all but invisible, and her crescent gold markings had blended with the light, fading into the background of wavering color.  
  
The shadows lifted from the violet eyes then and he blinked. Confusion covered his face. "I. . ." His eyes suddenly seemed to slide into focus on her and he made a startled noise. A faint blush spread over the white cheeks. "N-Nothing. Nothing at all." The silver-haired boy shook his head at her skew-browed perplexity. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Mimiru had barely opened her mouth to reply when he suddenly put his hand over hers, his eyes falling to rest on her thumb. Blood had pearled and spread over the brown cloth of his robe in a small dark patch. "You're hurt. Is it. . ." He looked up sorrowfully. "Is it because of me?"  
  
She turned her head away, unable to meet his eyes. "Not. .. . not really. . ."  
  
"I see." An uncertain pause. She heard the faint rustle of cloth as he glanced down at her hand, then back up again. "Do you feel it?"  
  
"W-wha-?"  
  
"The pain."  
  
She gasped softly, green eyes widening, then winced as she felt him prod it. The wound throbbed, pulsing deep rolling pain along the cut. The wetness of the blood cooled on her skin. Turning back, Mimiru gazed in wonder at the drop of red tipping her finger.  
  
"But. . . it's. . ."  
  
His eyebrows shot up and his mouth quirked into a smile. "Impossible?"  
  
"Well, yeah, that too, but. . ." There was incredulous laughter in her voice. She was dithering, her eyes darting every which way as though in search of escape. "But. . . if. . . I mean. . . we're. . ." Now she was babbling, biting on something more between every word. The violet eyes calmly searched out her own and stared until she fell silent and looked down. He watched her with a hint of a smile.  
  
"It's no use trying to deny it, you know." His face had relaxed back into its usual downcast expression and now he lifted a slender eyebrow.  
  
She bristled. One hand found the pommeled hilt of her blade. "I don't know what you're talking about." Her flat voice was low and hard, a stubborn set to her jaw. She raised her eyes in a dangerous look at him from beneath her bangs.  
  
"Hm." He seemed cocky, almost amused, tilting his head back to regard her from above. "Never mind, then."  
  
"But. . . my finger."  
  
"It'll heal." She felt the warmth of his hand leave hers and looked down again. Her hand tingled. The bleeding had stopped.  
  
He used his staff to pull himself to his feet, wiping his eyes with his sleeve, and stood looking down at her with a smile that gave nothing. "C'mon. We're wasting time."  
  
Turning away, he started off into the darkness without looking back, the end of his staff clicking in tandem with the ringing notes that returned immediately, almost comfortingly.  
  
"Augh!" She glared after him indignantly, then straightened and had to scramble not to be left behind in the darkness, muttering, "You ungrateful little. . ." He stopped, and she did so too after a moment, uncertainly. The dark eyes met hers over the beige shoulder of his robes, and a tiny smile played on his lips. He chortled softly. Mimiru continued to scowl, and only after the young Wave Master had turned away again did she allow her expression to soften.  
  
". . . you ungrateful little friend. . ." she finished in a murmur, rolling her eyes and folding her arms behind her head.  
  
===========  
  
The countless windows of the double-skyscraper building reflected the carpet of twinkling stars in the velvety dark sky, melting into one with the night. Somewhere in the quiet city of the real world, a bell tolled twelve.  
  
A loud scraping of chairs echoed in the circular room. The moon shone ghostly bright through the windows that formed a ring running all the way around the smooth seamless wall. It was dark in the depths of the vast spaces, though, dark except for the cold bright light of the computer monitors and panels set in metal stands all about, thrumming softly to themselves, and the strange reflected dead-glow of the massive wall-size screens that loomed above the windows to be lost in the shadows to the ceiling. Shadowed forms slid into the seats about the long table, hands folded, briefcases thudding on the hard material of the smooth surface, paper rustling like the wings of so many birds. The light from the monitors reflected off glasses and watch faces, glinted off more than a few pieces of jewelry. But the one thing that occupied every place, mirroring every shimmer and flicker that passed, was the vidhelms.  
  
Silence fell as all settled. The table could have accommodated countless more, yet all were clustered at one end.  
  
The last figure lowered himself into the cushioned seat at the head of the table, propping his chin on steepled fingers. All eyes were on him, waiting, watching his every move. A flaming shooting star streaked the sky, unnoticed.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen," he began softly, then suddenly the formal tone was gone, and his voice shook, "We've lost two more."  
  
A fleeting murmur raced through the listeners, a note of shock in every whisper.  
  
"How?" She leaned forward, tucking her long hair behind one ear. "How could this have happened?" A deep breath and a look around, receiving nods from every quarter. She turned back to him. "All right." Her voice was a sob. "All right, who is it? Who is it this time?"  
  
"Bierrda." A weary sigh as the speaker buried his head in his hands. "Bierrda and Eldeen."  
  
"No!" She fell back in her chair. Cries of horror filled the room.  
  
"Impossible! How could they have known?"  
  
"Bierrda was always careless, but this. . ."  
  
"They were our only operatives there, and now another important location has just slipped through our fingers. . . Curse those rogues. . . They'll pay."  
  
"Silence!" The command resonated strongly throughout the room. The voices that had fused like leaks in a kettle hushed immediately. "We have yet to root them out, and it will not be easy no matter what is done. They are much too clever, and they've hidden themselves with a skill surpassing that of normal hackers. We will have to deal with this with maximum care. They are dangerous, they have proven that." Quietly, almost to himself. "Though what they could possibly want, no one knows. They are doing something, and yet we could not detect any abnormalities at all. . . Most peculiar."  
  
"Sir?" A timid, young voice piped up tremulously.  
  
"What is it, my friend?" He smiled slightly and leaned back, quietly receptive.  
  
"Is this. . . could it possibly have come to. . ." The speaker obviously had much more than a simple speech problem; the voice shook so hard it was exceedingly difficult to decipher the words, but no one interrupted.  
  
"Could this be. . . 'The Situation'?" It was spoken so softly it was barely audible, but it shattered the calm of the room like a hammer striking glass. Murmurs of surprise rippled through the audience and the person shrank back and down in his seat.  
  
There was a long silence as all eyes came to rest once more on the one at the head of the table. He seemed to have fallen deep into thought, somewhere else, and sat still as a statue. Finally he stirred and seemed to come to life again.  
  
He spoke to his hands. "I'm afraid. . . Antesun raises a valid point." This time, the shock was so complete no one made a sound. "But I do not believe. . . Not yet, at least. However, we have been complacent for too long. We must proceed as though The Situation were at hand. For all we know, it may soon very well be. Perhaps even a matter of weeks. . ." The silence endured, soared into ringing tension. "The backup has been cunningly absconded with and hidden away. . ." Ruefully. "I have a feeling. . . The World has much more to it than we have thought to look for. It may be that it has grown out of our hands."  
  
Someone spoke up scornfully. "And into whose hands?"  
  
"That I do not know," he replied patiently, "But I f- I 'suspect'- that. . ." He trailed off. "But no matter. It is past the time to begin our preparations. We may have waited too long already." He looked up at all of them then, and the seriousness of his gaze froze them in their places even in the near-complete darkness. "Sandu." The person started at the abrupt call.  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"Gather your team and do what you can to find the backup copy. Look where you can think of, and where you can't." He smiled mysteriously. "Come to me if you find anything. Anything at all."  
  
"Very-very well, sir," the shorter man replied, puzzled. He stood, glasses flashing in the vague dimness, and a couple of others stood with him, gathering up their vidhelms. They made their way to the computers and a rising whine in the subdued hum signaled the beginning of their long and difficult task.  
  
"Viola."  
  
"Sir."  
  
"Continue looking for the hackers. Use the message boards. Send out a personal notice to all the players through the computer mainframe to look for any suspicious activity of any shape or form. Inform me of any further developments. Check the hospital records, though I doubt anything will show up. They are far too sharp for that."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
He turned to the one behind him.  
  
"Muster the Crimson Knights. And," a wry smile hovered at his lips, "try not to play around too much, all right? Recent events have not been kind to them, even as... . . Yes, it was most unfortunate. But the show must go on." A nod. A good man. He understood. He always did. "Tell them only what they need to know. If any word of this gets out to the general public. . ." He let the sentence hang.  
  
The other merely nodded once more and left in silence, his vidhelm under his arm.  
  
"Mia?" She smiled up at him, her eyes twin ebony jewels in the darkness, and he nodded an acknowledgement. "You know what to do. Monitor the flow. Do not look. See."  
  
"Of course." Her pleased smile widened as she turned to round up her puzzled colleagues.  
  
"Antesun." The youth jerked his head in a nervous nod. "I think you're up to par with Mia, don't you?"  
  
"Um. . . I- guess so."  
  
"Quit teasing him, Al!" Her laughing voice echoed from above them as she darted up the stairs. Her partner trudged after more reluctantly, dragging his heels and hanging his head.  
  
He gazed after them with a slight smile, shaking his head. Mia settled herself at the controls with a shout, and the giant wall-screens blazed to life.  
  
He picked up his own vidhelm and then hesitated, staring down at it blankly as a man who did not know where he was, who he was, or what to do, before walking to one of the windows, resting his forehead on the cool glass. He looked into the distance, past the skyscrapers towering over the twinkling lights of the city, past the mountains, beyond the horizon where the first rose of dawn glowed faintly in the air beyond the clouds. "We are doing all we can. The rest is up to you all." His sigh misted the glass and suddenly everything was foggy, distorted. "But even with all our efforts, all our precautions. . . without the Key of the Twilight. . . Without the Key, we will fail."  
  
===========  
  
"Do you want some light?"  
  
"Huh?!" She pulled up short, staring at him as if he'd gone mad. The whimsical notes followed in her footsteps, reverberating and ringing till they trod each other into nothing.  
  
The Wave Master turned fully to her, taking his still-burning staff in both hands. Silver hair swayed gently as he tilted his head, a lazy mocking grin on his lips.  
  
"So are you going to answer my question, or are you just gonna stand there all day?"  
  
" 'What' are you 'talking' about?!" Mimiru demanded, indicating the faint bluish flames with an outstretched hand.  
  
"I said do you want light?"  
  
"I heard you the first time," she muttered, then her voice rose, "We 'have' light, in case you didn't notice." Mimiru was growing more irritable by the second. "Can we stop wasting time here? I'd like to find someplace to logout. I'm getting tired of this stupid game." An arm was abruptly thrust out, sweeping in an arc to encompass the darkness around them. Domed scarlet armor flashed brightly at the elbow, iron spike jutting menacingly. "What kind of field 'is' this anyway?! It's boring! There's 'nothing here'!!"  
  
He merely laughed briefly at her with drawn brows and turned away, ignoring the narrowed green eyes that were trying to bore holes in his back. She stamped her foot and crossed her arms tightly, hunching her shoulders and scowling like a six-year-old on a temper tantrum. An angry toss of her head sent her hair tumbling every which way again. "Hmph."  
  
Tsukasa continued to ignore her. His footsteps echoed as though they were in a cave, except no cave had musical echoes. A few steps away, he stopped, his staff still in his hands, the tip touching the ground with a hollow sharp metallic sound. "Of course there's nothing here."  
  
"Wha-"  
  
He looked around, his visage profiled in shadow. Even so, she could see the tightness around his mouth. "What makes you think this is a field?"  
  
"Uh- 'What'?!" Mimiru's mouth was half open in surprise. Her tanned face contorted in confusion, the tusk crescents curving at her cheeks twisting awkwardly out of shape. "I. . . don't think I get what you're saying."  
  
"Yes, of course." The silver-haired boy before her seemed to be talking to himself now. He shifted and all she could see of his face were graceful twists of shadow interlaced with fine grey strands. "So then. . ." Suddenly there was a lighter tone to his voice. He suddenly whirled around, flourishing his staff, and she drew a sharp breath, eyes round and raising one hand as though to fend off a blow. His face had lit up like a birthday candle, the wariness in the dark eyes softening, and his mouth opened in a delighted smile.  
  
"Tsukasa?" she ventured cautiously, "W-what is it?"  
  
The happy face fell a little, and Mimiru bit her lip, bowing her head and studying her boots. Her hands clasped and unclasped, the fingers twisting and toying with each other as she shifted nervously from one foot to the other. Tsukasa was silent.  
  
When she spoke again, her voice was soft, unsure, "I. . . I didn't mean it that way." Her hopeful tone was met with stony silence. Her chin drew even closer to her collar. "Do you even want me here?"  
  
He looked startled, then abruptly he became reticent. "Why are you asking that? It doesn't matter." Dark eyes retreated into themselves, falling half- closed as his mouth closed in a thin line. "It doesn't matter. Why should it?"  
  
"I'm tired of this!" Her outburst startled him as much as herself. She threw her head up and bellowed to the sky, if there even was one. "Why can't you 'ever' give me a straight answer?! No matter how hard I try you just keep treating me like the enemy!! And I'm telling you right now, it stinks. It really, really stinks!! Well, I'm 'through' with this!" Her shout was hoarse by the last words. Tsukasa was cringing away from her, and her face darkened further at the sight, jaw hardening and eyebrows pressing downwards till the bridge of her nose was all ridges.  
  
She spat on the ground, and, drawing her sword, chopped downward with all her might. The metal clanged and bounced off, the hard ringing sound nearly deafening both of them. Whirling on her heel, Mimiru swung her sword savagely to her side with one hand, heedless of the large gleaming blade, and commenced stalking off into the darkness, not looking back.  
  
"Wait." She hesitated, but continued her course, her slim figure retreating from the pale light of the blue flame more swiftly than ever. The pale face tightened and he spoke through gritted teeth. "Don't go. Not yet. If. . . if you want an answer. . ." She stopped. Turning ever so slowly, she saw Tsukasa standing there with one hand reaching out to her as though to try to catch her, but he hadn't moved from his spot. As she watched, his fingers seemed to jerk before his hand fell to his side. He hesitated before raising the hand to wrap it around his staff in a white-knuckled grip. His fingerless dark gloves lay in a rumpled heap by his feet.  
  
He refused to meet her eyes. His head was down, his forehead against the outside arch of the staff head. "You. . . want me to tell you everything. Everything about me. Well I. . . I can't." The violet orbs rose then, pleading. "Because I don't know. Sometimes. . . - his voice caught - Sometimes. . . I don't think I know anything about anything." Now the Wave Master turned away, his back to her, and lifted his staff up with both hands as though raising a standard. The round jewel enclosed in the curve at the top glittered purple. "But. . . let me show you something."  
  
Mimiru watched, her face blank but the emerald eyes intent. Both hands gripped the hilt of her sword as though ready to swing it into battle.  
  
The staff's fire burned blue one moment, then red the next, then purple and green and gold and bronze and indigo and. . . Mimiru had to shade her eyes. She squinted at the jumble of hues that flashed by so quickly and haphazardly her eyes hurt just to look at the flux.  
  
"Tsukasa! What's going on-!" Her voice was strangely muffled, though the air around her was clear when she moved and the silence that reigned had not been broken by any but them.  
  
After a moment the rainbow of swirling, waving light swam together into one melting, mind-searing mess of living, twisting color, like a thousand dazzling snakes wiggling, all squeezed together with no space left between them. Her head ached behind her eyes. Then suddenly the staff flared a blinding, pure white, a blaze of light that filled Mimiru's vision. She yelped and threw her arms up over her eyes, still instinctively squinting to see, and then for a moment she saw nothing at all.  
  
===========  
  
Warm lights glowed along the wide, quiet waterways, the steady lap of water against the embankments a comfort to the ear. Bridges of round carved stone arched over the river routes, wide enough for a more than half a dozen people to cross at the same time. Banners of crimson and gold were hung out over the waves as well, strung from four corners to a golden ornament in the center, glittering from the strange light of the waters below, which sometimes even at night glistened amber shadow as though they had permanently soaked in the sunset. Long wooden boats, bow, stern and sail rounded with smooth patterned gold, multi-leveled shallow keel also thus bedecked and scattered with the silhouettes of men, glided slowly but surely on the sunlit waves.  
  
Sumptuously crafted buildings of all styles and colors, columns and tall windows and dark lengthy curtains sweeping and bound in the middle, marble, limestone, plain stone, lined the canal, like some wealthy avenue of Italy. Heavy and richly colored abstract tapestries and flies fluttered over windows and storefronts and streets. Bright articulate geometric designs adorned the buildings, giving the city a whimsically colorful air. One almost expected to see carriages rolling to and fro, horses tossing their handsome plumed heads and arching proud necks as they trotted on the paving stones, ladies in scarlet silk gowns, flowered delicate fans in hand, moving by slowly on the arms of tall dignified gentlemen all in black. Instead, players strode the peaceful streets, congregating in the semi- paved square littered with benches, lined with pennants of red and gold, and dominated by a long building of gray arrayed beneath a red-tiled roof.  
  
The head of the building thrust up its golden spire like a bell tower above the narrowly arched doorway and windows. And before it hovered a Chaos Gate, luminous translucent blue like swimming pool water or sky-spun cotton spinning at the top of a flight of steps.  
  
A whining hum accompanied the arrival of a group of men. All were dressed in crimson beneath silver armor, skull-like silver helmets lined with blue and white enclosing their heads and leaving only the jaw revealed, and all wore swords. All but the man at the very front.  
  
He was dressed plainly, a sleeveless velvet-green tabard over a blue tog trimmed with intricate gold design. His pants were an unremarkable dark beige. He wore neither helmet nor mail, and carried no visible weapons, but he moved with such graceful assurance as to make any prospective opponent think twice. His near shoulder-length tawny hair was wild, shifting through all the hues from brown to red, and flopped down into bright dark eyes of odd intensity. Pale grey wreathed in spears along his temple and arm. The men behind him gave him a wide berth, and some were even leaning away from him.  
  
"Well, hello there!" His tone was hearty but his gaze sharp on the one who stepped out to greet him from the shadows of the courtyard, metal sollerets stepping loudly on stone. Red eyes glowed white and steel horns flashed briefly in the dim glow provided by the Chaos Gate. "You made it."  
  
All he received in response was a noncommittal grunt.  
  
The smile on the bronzed face faded. "Same as always. You never were one for niceties, I suppose."  
  
A low grumble greeted his words. "Have you found her?"  
  
The tawny-haired man frowned and held up a warning hand. "Whoa, whoa, slow down there, Silver Knight! We haven't even been able to find a trace of her since she went after that Wave Master-"  
  
"That Wave Master." The tone was forceful and the soft hissing screech of metal was accompanied by a flicker of steel at the Knight's hip. "He is responsible for this."  
  
The other arched an eyebrow. "Jumping to conclusions, aren't we?"  
  
The Knight Captain bared his sword further, the discovered blade glowing silver now as his fingers tensed on the hilt. His words were more growl than talk. "It seems you forget your place, Hieran."  
  
Suddenly the slighter man hissed and took a step forward. The Knight's upper torso jerked and his sword was nearly out of its sheath before he abruptly stilled his hand, burning eyes flaring to glare at the dark ones that glittered now like shards of ice.  
  
"I answer to no one." Very quiet, very slowly, enunciating each word with deliberate care till it seemed each was a boulder dropping in the silence. "No one but Lady Subaru."  
  
The Knight straightened. The sword slid back into its scabbard with a rustle and a clear click. "In milady's. . . absence, 'I', Silver Knight, shall-"  
  
"Subaru, and 'only' Subaru." There was no warmth in Hieran's grin as he turned away, leading his men back to the Chaos Gate. He spoke without looking around. "We have scoured every server, and we have spoken with and contacted numerous players. We managed to obtain little to no useful information. No one has seen nor heard anything." The Knight Captain snorted in disbelief, but there were murmurs of assent among the troop of Knights at the light-haired man's heels. He went on, his tone formal and expressionless, betraying nothing. "However, I believe we have cause to return our search to Carmina Gardelica." This raised some surprise among his men.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"You'll find out soon enough, Ginkan." He turned his head slightly and the smirk on his features was just visible. "If my hunch turns out to be right."  
  
With that, he and his troop disappeared in a flurry of rising gold rings, the edging hum stepladdering along the infinitely complex mosaic design that faded before it could be properly perceived.  
  
The horned Knight snorted and turned in a clank of armor, stalking off into the darkness.  
  
___________  
  
A/N: All right, NOW it's finished. I wanted to add more but. . . I'm telling you, previews are inherently evil. *bangs head against wall* I'm ditching them. NO MORE. There was absolutely NO WAY I could've fit what last chapter's preview outlined all into this one chapter. Absolutely NO WAY. This chapter was already impossibility chapterified, it drove me INSANE trying to write it with all the proper elements and shtuff. So all the action has ended up being relegated to the NEXT chapter. Again. Somebody shoot me. *digs a hole and hides* Now I understand why Mimiru and Tsukasa must not stay together for more than a few minutes at a time. *bangs hole in wall with head* I am SO DAMN FRUSTRATED with that pair right now, I think Mimiru's outburst was a direct result of that. Ugh. This whole chapter probably tumbled right into OOC zone and beyond, since I oozed through the first half or so and then whirlwinded through the second part, but presently I don't really give a damn. I will probably go back and correct myself to death sometime in the far distant future, but at present I really need to figure out a way to get my inspiration back. My brain has decided to shut down nice and completely. Plus I have a project due tomorrow. *buries self in hole* "Ask after me tomorrow, and you'll find me a grave woman", that you will. Dang. English class x Rurouni Kenshin should not be allowed. Rats.  
  
~End of Rant~  
  
Saner A/N: Anyway, what'd you guys think? I hope nobody thinks my Jaarin is a Mary Sue or something. He has a perfectly valid reason for his appearance. HUGE hint: You should've recognized the shopkeeper at the beginning of last chapter. If you didn't, time to re-watch Role Play. Faults? He has heaps. At least in my view. *shrug* Also, very important, people, DO NOT LOOK AT THIS AS A FRIGGIN ROMANCE, I WILL GET TO THE DANGDRATTED ROMANCE SOMEDAY BUT **NOT. NOW.** Got that? This is NOT Tsukasa/Mimiru, at least for the moment. All I'm going to say to prove that is, well, guys, consider the situation they're in. If you really want explanations e-mail me. I prefer to let you guys use your imaginations though. This was a pretty hefty dose of plot for .hack, so d'you think I should chop it up into multiple chapters or something? Thing is I'm working in a time frame here meaning all this has to happen for something else to happen. . . Anyway! This chapter was probably confusing as heck. Again. About that meeting and all that stuff. . . You'll find out. Someday. If I can get my brain back to life. *looks around* Is it what is commonly known as writer's block? *groans* Jeez, this whole block thingie sucks. I can't write. *bangs head through wall* Review! Send me wedges, send me hammers, send me sledgehammers, dynamite, something, etc. Just help me out here!!! I think I have that awful horrible absolutely mind-killing thing called writer's block!!!!!! Be nice, and review. Please? If you ever want me to manage to find the inclination to write the next chappie? This is not a pathetic attempt to get more reviews. It's a necessity. I'm a lazy arse. I know. ^-^ REVIEW!!!  
  
Ending Note: The next chapter will probably take even longer than this one. -_- There's a HECK of a lot of stuff happening. So. . . Patience, 'kay? ^-^ 


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